SAMPEX Polar-Cap-Averaged Fluxes of Protons, Ions, and Electrons

NASA's SAMPEX spacecraft collected differential and integral fluxes of protons, helium ions, Z.GE.6 ions, and electrons averaged over polar cap passes poleward of geomagnetic latitude 70 degrees. The dataset contains 17 differential fluxes and one integral flux, with data organized by species in monthly CDF files or by instrument in monthly ASCII files. Data for each pass includes time tags, fluxes, statistical uncertainties, and flags indicating north or south polar cap passes.

Use Cases

• Modeling radiation belt dynamics based on differential electron fluxes.
• Analyzing solar energetic particle events based on proton and helium ion fluxes.
• Studying geomagnetic storm effects on polar cap particle populations based on species-specific flags and time tags.
• Correlating ion composition changes with space weather conditions based on Z.GE.6 ion channels.

Strengths

• Contains 17 differential fluxes and one integral flux for multiple particle species.
• Data is averaged over specific polar cap regions (geomagnetic latitude >70 degrees).
• Fluxes are derived from multiple spacecraft sensors (LICA, HILT, MAST, PET).
• Includes statistical uncertainties and instrument-specific flags for each measurement.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Not all SAMPEX orbits contain two polar cap passes, indicating potential data gaps.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Averaged measurements from the SAMPEX spacecraft's LICA, HILT, MAST, and PET instruments during polar cap passes.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:57:56.727447; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Earth's polar caps (geomagnetic latitude poleward of 70 degrees).